Yarra News

Container ship operator CMA CGM is revising steering guidance across its fleet after ambiguous procedures contributed to one of its ships colliding with a navigational beacon in the Yarra River, Victoria, Australia, an ATSB investigation report notes.Departing the Port of Melbourne on 25 May 2023 under the conduct of a harbor pilot, container ship CMA CGM Puccini contacted the navigational beacon after swinging wide in a turn when its rudder began responding erratically to helm orders.The ship was slowed and returned towards the middle of the channel…

The crew of the Huon class minehunter HMAS Yarra has paid a rare port call to the Indonesian trade centre of Makassar. Yarra was the first Royal Australian Navy vessel to visit Makassar since the opening of the Australian mission in the city this March. Australia is South Sulawesi’s second largest source of imports with goods worth US$135.6 million. As the gateway to Eastern Indonesia, Makassar is one of the Indonesian region’s most important maritime trade and cultural centres. While Indonesian port visits are becoming increasingly common for Australian Navy vessels, few if any of Yarra’s crew had ever visited Makassar before. “Several of the crew have previously visited other Indonesian ports primarily Bali,” Commanding Officer HMAS Yarra, Lieutenant Commander Jason McBain said.

Vessel sales for October2016 (as of November 1) as prepared by Shipping Intelligence, Inc., New York.

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) informs it has commemorated the 100th anniversary of the disappearance of its first submarine, 'HMAS AE1', with memorial services in Papua New Guinea and across Australia. In a ceremony held in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, close to where the ship was last seen, Navy members, local dignitaries, traditional land owners and descendants of the crew gathered to remember the ship lost on 14 September 1914. Director of Navy Submarine Capability Commodore Peter Scott, CSC, RAN officiated in a service held on the shores of Simpson Harbour. “As the first ship loss for the fledgling Royal Australian Navy and the first Allied submarine loss in the First World War, the impact was felt in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom,” Commodore Scott said.

The Australian Defense Force (ADF) confirmed that a number of contacts of interest were discovered during the search for lost 1914 submarine AE1 by HMAS Yarra in the Duke of York Islands, Papua New Guinea. The contacts were located during the search for HMAS AE1 conducted between September 6-9. According to the ADF, a number of contacts were able to be classified as natural objects; however, one contact remains unidentified and will require further investigation. ADF will not disclose the exact location of the contact until it is properly identified.

Royal Australian Navy Minehunter, HMAS Yarra, has been undertaking an underwater search off Papua New Guinea for HMAS AE1, the Navy’s first submarine. AE1 was lost without a trace on September 14, 1914, with her full crew of three officers and 32 sailors. The Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett AO, CSC RAN, said the search had been ongoing for many years, and Yarra’s crew was up to the task: “The full expertise and training of the crew will be brought to bear in aid of the search. Commanding Officer of HMAS Yarra, Lieutenant Commander Brendan O’Hara, said a number of scenarios had been considered in determining the search area. These included ‘last sighted’ reports by HMAS Parramatta (I) as well as local historical accounts.

The Central Queensland Port Authority is undertaking one of the largest capital improvement projects in Australia. The RG Tanna Wharf Expansion Project involves extending the pier by 350 meters, widening existing berths, building a 1.3 kilometer onshore conveyor, and creating a new jetty approach. The cost of the construction portion alone is $128m. Marine contractor Realf’s Diving and Salvage was hired to survey the area before the dredging operation could begin. The company is based in Gladstone…

Cement dust aboard a ship bound for Adelaide has been contaminated by sea water, turning the cargo into cement, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation has reported. The incident reportedly occurred aboard the CSL Yarra, a 46,000 ton bulk carrier. "A fire hydrant has leaked sea water into a machinery space which has residual cargo from the last discharge," Australian Maritime Union South Australian secretary Rick Newlyn is reported to have said. "It was cement and that's of some concern, but not enough to change the voyage."

The new generation of giant container ships will be able to access Melbourne's port within three years under plans released yesterday by the Bracks Government to deepen the channels leading to the city's docks, the Australian reported. But figures released along with an environmental effects statement reveal the cost of the dredging project has blown out from $545 million to at least $763 million. And Treasurer John Brumby refused to say how much of the burden would be borne by taxpayers and how much by cargo exporters through a proposed increase in the container levy. Shallow areas in the mouth of Port Phillip Bay, the mouth of the Yarra River and the shipping channel between the two prevent about 25per cent of container ships using the port or loading to full capacity.

According to The Age, increased security patrols around Melbourne Port and a 24-hour control center for the Yarra River feature in security and operational plans for Melbourne's waterways during next year's Commonwealth Games. Details have emerged as the Federal Government begins its race against the clock to complete security checks on port workers and users who need access to secure areas during the Games. The issuing of 140,000 identification cards to maritime workers is one of the Government's key initiatives for national security, and is scheduled to be completed by January 2007. The port will continue operating during the Games, with security agencies planning patrols by water police. Special underwater capabilities and police divers will be available.